However, that’s not the case anymore, as the latest poster for UFC 196 now features McGregor with his belt represented. The change was made official by UFC president Dana White, who admits the alteration was motivated by McGregor.

Credit: MMAFighting.com

“Conor made his argument, ‘This is a superfight. I’m a [145]-pound champion. He’s the [155]-pound champion. My belt should be represented even though I’m not defending my belt,'” White recalled in an interview with MMA Fighting. “And I said, ‘You know what? You’re right, Conor. All right, we’ll do it.”

So McGregor is now depicted with his belt on the official UFC 196 poster, in addition to the bout now being billed as a champion vs. champion fight. In short, this fight is starting to feel as grandiose as it ought to feel. After all, this has the potential to be an historic fight. A victory over dos Anjos will make McGregor the first fighter in UFC history to hold two belts in separate weight divisions at the same time. I guess we’ll find out who wins it all when UFC 196 airs live on Saturday, March 5.